Joan Miró: Pochoir

In the 1930s, [Joan Miró](https://www.artsy.net/artist/joan-miro) began experimenting with the pochoir (French for “stencil”) printmaking technique to create Surrealist works on paper. Unlike the artist’s other favorite printmaking methods, [etching](https://www.artsy.net/collection/joan-miro-etchings) and [lithography](https://www.artsy.net/collection/joan-miro-lithographs), pochoir enabled him to create prints that most closely resembled his colorful gouache paintings. To create pochoir prints, Miró worked with master printmakers (including the renowned pochoir-expert Daniel Jacomet) to cut intricately-designed stencils and brush them with ink before running his designs through the printing press. The labor-intensive process produced unique, tactile prints, requiring a team of highly-trained experts to assist with the hand-coloring. While pochoir fell out of favor in the mid-20th century due to its costly production, Miró continued to use the stencil-technique throughout his career.